Feeding babies and toddlers - finger foods

foods; finger; lumps; choking;

As babies start to have new foods, from the age of 6 months, they quite quickly want to start holding pieces of food themselves and they begin to learn how to get the piece of food to their mouth and how to chew on it.

Be prepared for mess and for them to take quite a long time playing with and chewing on the piece of food. The more they practice the better they will get. If you get frustrated with them they may become stressed and it will be harder for them to learn how to feed themselves. For safety reasons when they are learning to eat, babies and toddlers need to be sitting still in a baby chair or on your lap.

The foods need to be firm enough to hold, but babies are at risk from choking if they are given hard pieces of food (see 'Preventing choking' below).

Strips of bread or toast (spreads such as cream cheese or peanut butter will make them softer and a little easier to manage) There is no need to delay or avoid potentially allergenic foods (such as egg, peanuts, wheat, cow’s milk, soy and fish) to prevent food allergies or eczema.

The information on this site should not be used as an alternative to professional care. If you have a particular problem, see a doctor, or ring the Parent Helpline on 1300 364 100 (local call cost from anywhere in South Australia).

This topic may use 'he' and 'she' in turn - please change to suit your child's sex.